U.S. animal genetics parley sparks cyanide protest
Date: 26-Jul-00
Country: USA
Hennepin County Sheriff's spokeswoman Roseann Campagnoli said people at a McDonald's in Minneapolis saw "a couple of individuals" leave behind a metal receptacle of liquid containing a low concentration of hydrogen cyanide gas. Some of the liquid spilled, she added.
Two patrons of the fast-food restaurant and two firefighters became slightly ill from the fumes, which could have exploded, Campagnoli said.
Containers believed to hold the same liquid were found at two outdoor locations near where more than 600 scientists were attending the International Society for Animal Genetics conference.
The meeting began last week under tight security, ordered by city authorities worried by the violent protests that accompanied a global trade conference last year in Seattle.
In a clash on Monday, around 200 people protesting the genetics conference threw rocks and a liquid at police using batons and pepper spray at a park near the meeting site.
Seventy protesters were arrested, mostly on charges of unlawful assembly or disorderly conduct, but one was accused of assaulting a police officer and another of assaulting a police horse, Campagnoli said.
